WO2016197917A1

WO2016197917A1 - Flow entry issuing method, flow entry storage method, relevant apparatus and system

Info

Publication number: WO2016197917A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/085130
Authority: WO
Inventors: 胡士辉; 侯杰
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2015-06-12
Filing date: 2016-06-07
Publication date: 2016-12-15
Also published as: US10469388B2; CN106302184A; EP3300321A4; US20180102974A1; EP3300321B1; CN106302184B; EP3300321A1

Abstract

Disclosed are a flow entry issuing method, a flow entry storage method, a relevant apparatus and a system. The flow entry storage method comprises: a controller acquiring at least one flow entry for realizing a function on a network device and a device identifier of the network device; the controller acquiring storage information about the network device according to the device identifier, wherein the storage information comprises a free space in a storage space of the network device for storing flow entries; the controller comparing the free space with the total capacity of the at least one flow entry; and determining whether the network device has enough free storage space to store the at least one flow entry according to a comparison result. When the network device has a storage space greater than or equal to the flow entry, the at least one flow entry is issued; and when the network device does not have storage space for storing flow entries, the at least one flow entry is not issued, thereby improving the success rate for issuing a flow entry by the controller.

Description

Flow table item delivery method, flow table item storage method, related device and system

This application claims to be submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on June 12, 2015, the application number is CN 201510323801.6, and the invention name is “a flow table item delivery method, flow table item preservation method, related device and system”. Priority is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method for delivering a flow entry, a method for saving a flow entry, and a related device and system.

Background technique

The controller sends a flow entry to the network device, so that the network device can perform corresponding functions, such as forwarding, discarding, and the like according to the obtained flow entry. In order to enable the network device to implement a certain function, the controller needs to send one or more flow entries related to the function to the network device. A network device generally allocates a dedicated storage space for the flow table entry delivered by the controller.

In the prior art, in the process of the controller sending a flow entry to the network device, the controller does not consider the storage state of the storage space used by the network device to store the flow entry. The controller may still send a flow entry to the network device in order to enable the network device to perform a certain function in the case that the storage space of the network device storage flow entry is insufficient. Because the network device does not have enough storage space at this time, it cannot save or only save some of the received flow entry. The function of the network device fails to be implemented.

Increasing the success rate of the flow entry under the controller is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

Summary of the invention

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for sending a flow entry, a method for saving a flow entry, a related device, and a system, so that the controller is smaller than the free space in the free space. The flow entry is not sent to the network device in the total capacity, which improves the success rate of the flow entry sent by the controller.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for delivering a flow entry, where the method includes:

The controller acquires at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device and a device identifier of the network device;

Obtaining, by the controller, the storage information of the network device according to the device identifier, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

The controller compares the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry;

And the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

The controller does not deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device if the free space is smaller than the total capacity.

In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the free space in the storage space for storing the flow entry specifically includes a reserved free space and a non-reserved free space, where the at least one flow entry is further Having a corresponding user identifier, the method further includes:

Determining, by the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space;

If the reserved subspace is available, the controller compares the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry, including:

The controller compares the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry;

If the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity, the controller compares the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

And the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

If the non-reserved free space is less than the total capacity, the controller does not go to the network device The at least one flow entry is delivered.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the controller determines, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier. ,Also includes:

If the reserved subspace is not provided, the controller compares the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

The controller does not deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device, if the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity.

With reference to the first aspect, or the first or the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner, the controller acquires, according to the device identifier, the storage information of the network device, including :

Sending, by the controller, a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

Receiving, by the controller, a response message that is replied by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device;

The controller acquires the storage information of the network device from the response message.

With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the foregoing aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the request message is an extended Multipart request message of an OpenFlow protocol, where the extended Multipart request message includes a Type field and a request body a field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating that the information is stored, the request body field is empty or carrying the device identifier;

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, and the response Body field carries the storage information of the network device.

In combination with the first aspect or the first or second or the third or the fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation, the method further includes:

When the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, or receives a flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device, the controller updates the storage information, and the flow entry deletion notification is And including a flow entry capacity deleted by the network device and a location where the deleted flow entry is stored in the storage space before being deleted.

In a second aspect, the embodiment of the present invention provides a flow entry delivery device, where the flow entry delivery device includes:

An obtaining unit, configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device, and a device identifier of the network device;

a searching unit, configured to acquire, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

a comparison unit, configured to compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry;

If the vacant space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the trigger sending unit sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the sending unit does not trigger the sending of the at least one flow entry to the network device.

In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the free space in the storage space for storing the flow entry specifically includes a reserved free space and a non-reserved free space, where the at least one flow entry is further Has a corresponding user ID, and also includes:

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space;

If the reserved subspace is provided, triggering the first comparison subunit included in the comparison unit,

The first comparison subunit is configured to compare the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry;

If the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the sending unit is configured to send the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity, triggering a second comparison subunit included in the comparison unit,

The second comparison subunit is configured to compare the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

And sending, by the sending unit, the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

And sending, by the sending unit, the at least one flow entry to the network device, if the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity.

In conjunction with the first possible implementation of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

If the judgment result of the determining unit is that the reserved subspace is not provided, the second comparison subunit is triggered;

With reference to the second aspect, or the first or the second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation, the searching unit further includes:

a sending subunit, configured to send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

a receiving subunit, configured to receive a response message that is sent by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device;

And obtaining a subunit, configured to acquire the storage information of the network device from the response message.

With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner, the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, where the extended Multipart request message includes a type. a Type field and a request body Body field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating that the information is stored, the request Body field is empty or carrying the device identifier;

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, and the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, the response body The field carries the storage information of the network device.

With reference to the second aspect or the first or second or the third or the fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

And an update unit, configured to: when the at least one flow entry is sent to the network device, or the flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device is received, the storage information is updated, and the flow entry is deleted. The notification includes a flow entry capacity deleted by the network device and a location in the storage space before the deleted flow entry is deleted.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for saving a flow entry, where the method includes:

The network device sends the storage information of the network device to the controller, where the storage information includes a free space in the storage space used by the network device to store the flow entry;

Receiving, by the network device, at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device;

The network device saves the at least one flow entry in a storage space.

In a first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, before the sending, by the network device, the storage information of the network device to the controller, the method further includes:

Obtaining, by the network device, a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

Sending, by the network device, the storage information of the network device to the controller, including:

And the network device returns a response message to the controller according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, where the extended Multipart request message includes a type. a Type field and a request body Body field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating that the information is stored, the request Body field is empty or carrying the device identifier;

In a fourth aspect, the embodiment of the present invention provides a flow entry storage device, including:

a sending unit, configured to send, to the controller, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

a receiving unit, configured to receive at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device;

And a saving unit, configured to save the at least one flow entry in the storage space.

In a first possible implementation of the fourth aspect,

The receiving unit is further configured to: before the triggering the sending unit, acquire a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

The sending unit is specifically configured to: reply, according to the request message, a response message to the controller, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner, the request message is an extended multi-part Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, where the extended Multipart request message includes a type. a Type field and a request body Body field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating that the information is stored, the request Body field is empty or carrying the device identifier;

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flow entry delivery system, where the system includes a controller and a network device:

The controller is configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on a network device, and a device identifier of the network device, and acquire, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes The network device is configured to store a free space in a storage space of the flow entry; compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry; if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, according to the The device identifier sends the at least one piece to the network device a flow entry; if the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the at least one flow entry is not sent to the network device;

The network device is configured to send the storage information of the network device to the controller, where the storage information includes a free space in the storage space of the network device for storing the flow entry; and receiving at least the issued by the controller A flow entry, the at least one flow entry being used to implement a function on the network device; and storing the at least one flow entry in a storage space.

According to the foregoing technical solution, the controller compares the at least one stream before the controller sends the at least one flow entry corresponding to the function to the network device, in order to enable the network device to implement a function. The total capacity of the entry and the storage information of the network device, and the comparison result indicates whether the network device has sufficient free storage space to store the at least one flow entry. When the network device has a storage space that is greater than or equal to the flow entry, the at least one flow entry is sent, and the at least one flow entry is not sent when the network device does not have a storage space for storing the flow entry. , the success rate of the flow entry under the controller is improved.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only It is a certain embodiment of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained from those skilled in the art without any inventive labor.

Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of a first case of a downstream flow entry;

FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a second case of a downstream flow entry;

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for sending a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart of a method for storing information according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for sending a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

4 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a device for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of hardware of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of hardware of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The controller sends a flow entry to the network device, so that the network device can implement the function by using the received flow entry. During the process of sending a flow entry to the network device by the controller, the controller does not consider the storage state of the storage space used by the network device to store the flow entry. The controller may still send a flow entry to the network device in order to enable the network device to perform a certain function in the case that the storage space of the network device storage flow entry is insufficient. Because the network device does not have enough storage space at this time, it cannot save or only save some of the received flow entry. As a result, the network device cannot implement the function through the flow entry.

Taking the specific scenario as an example, the problem existing in the conventional mode is illustrated by the following figure, and FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of the first case of the lower flow entry. In FIG. 1a, the application (English: Application, abbreviation: APP) 1 is required to enable the network device 1 to implement the function 1. The controller needs to send four flow entries to the network device 1, that is, as shown in FIG. In the storage space where the network device 1 is used to store the flow entry, only the free space for storing three flow entries is stored. In the case of FIG. 1a, if the controller sends the flow entry 1 to be sent, the network device 1 can only store at most three of the four flow entries, and the network device 1 cannot implement the function 1 and wastes The storage resource of the network device 1.

FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a second case of a downstream flow entry. In FIG. 1b, in order for the network device 2 to implement the function 2, the controller needs to send the three flow entry items to the network device 2, that is, the flow entry 2 to be sent, as shown in FIG. 1b; For the network device 2 to implement the function 3, the controller also needs to send the three flow entries to the network device 2, that is, the flow entry 3 to be sent, as shown in FIG. 1b, and the network device 2 is configured to store the storage of the flow entry. There is only free space in the space where four flow entries are stored. In the case of FIG. 1b, if the controller simultaneously delivers the to-be-sent flow entry 2 and the pending flow entry 3 to the network device 2, it is possible that the network device 2 uses two of the original free spaces. And storing two of the three flow entries in the to-be-sent flow entry 2, and using the other two of the original free space to store two of the three flow entries in the flow-sending entry 3 . As a result, the network device 2 cannot implement the function 2 and cannot implement the function 3, and wastes the storage resources of the network device 2.

To this end, the embodiment of the present invention provides a method for sending a flow entry, a method for saving a flow entry, and a related device, and a system, and when the controller implements a function for the network device, the corresponding device is sent to the network device. Before the at least one flow entry of the function, the controller compares the total capacity of the at least one flow entry with the storage information of the network device, and determines whether the network device has sufficient free storage storage by comparing the results. The at least one flow entry. When the network device has a storage space that is greater than or equal to the flow entry, the at least one flow entry is sent, and the at least one flow entry is not sent when the network device does not have a storage space for storing the flow entry. , the success rate of the flow entry under the controller is improved.

The storage space of the network device may also allocate specific reserved spaces for specific functions that need to be performed, such as functions with high priority or specific users that need to implement functions on the network device, such as important users or important applications. When the flow entry related to the foregoing, for example, a flow entry related to a specific function, a flow entry generated by a specific user, or a flow entry generated by an important application needs to be delivered to the network device, the storage space There is reserved storage space dedicated to storing the above flow table entries. Moreover, even if the free space of the reserved storage space is insufficient, the flow table entry may be stored in the non-reserved free space when the non-reserved free space of the storage space is sufficient. Therefore, the probability that the important flow entry can be stored by the network device is ensured as much as possible, and the use efficiency of the storage space is improved.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for sending a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method includes:

101: The controller acquires at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device and a device identifier of the network device.

The flow entry described in the embodiment of the present invention can be understood as being constructed when a user or an application wants to implement a function on the network device. For the network device to implement a function, the controller needs to send the flow entry to the network device that is required to be delivered, and the flow entry to be delivered may be at least one flow entry. . After the at least one flow entry is successfully delivered to the network device or stored by the network device to a storage space dedicated to storing a flow entry, the network device may be according to the at least one The flow entry implements the described functionality.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferably applied to a network in which a software defined network (English: Software Defined Network, SDN) technology is deployed. The network device may be a forwarding device for performing route forwarding. For example, it may be a switch, a router, or the like that supports the OpenFlow protocol.

102: The controller acquires storage information of the network device according to the device identifier, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry.

For example, if the controller has stored the storage information locally, the controller may perform a local search by using the device identifier to find the storage information of the corresponding device identifier. Alternatively, if the controller stores the storage information locally, the controller may send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, for requesting to acquire storage information of the network device, and receiving The network device obtains the storage information of the network device carried in the response message according to the response message returned by the request message, and may use the obtained storage information to update the locally stored storage information. . Or, if the controller does not store the storage information locally, the controller may send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, to request to acquire storage information of the network device, and receive the The network device obtains the response message according to the response message returned by the request message. Storage information of the network device carried in the network. It should also be noted that the network device can also automatically upload its own storage information to the controller periodically.

The storage information may be a parameter for identifying a storage space storage condition specifically used for storing a flow entry in the network device, where the storage space that has been used and the unused storage space may be included. . The main concern in the embodiments of the present invention is the parameters of the free storage space that have not been used for storage.

The request message and the response message may be a set new message, or may be a new type defined on the basis of an existing message by extending the protocol. 2 is a flowchart of a method for acquiring a storage information according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method includes:

201: The controller sends a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device.

202: The controller receives a response message that is sent by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.

203: The controller acquires the storage information of the network device from the response message.

Optionally, the embodiment of the present invention further provides that the request message and the response message are obtained by defining a new type on the basis of an existing message by extending the protocol.

In the OpenFlow protocol, Multipart Messages can be used between the controller and the network device to transmit status information of the network device. The controller may request to obtain status information of the network device by sending a multipart request message (English: Multipart request) to the network device, and after receiving the Multipart request message, the network device returns a multipart response message to the controller ( English: Multipart reply), and carry the required status message in the Multipart response message. In the OpenFlow protocol format of the Multipart request message and the Multipart response message, the type value may be set by the type field: "uint16_t type; /*One of the OFPMP_* constants.*/", and different type values correspond to different state information. For example, if the controller needs to obtain the status information 1 from the network device, the type field in the Multipart request message sent by the controller to the network device may be set to the type value 1 corresponding to the status information 1, and if the status information 2 is required, The type field may be set to a class corresponding to the status information 2 Type value 2. That is to say, the content carried in the Multipart request message and the Multipart response message can be controlled by setting the type field. However, the current OpenFlow protocol does not support the controller to obtain the storage information of the network device from the network device through the Multipart message.

In order to realize the function that the controller acquires the storage information of the network device from the network device. The embodiment of the present invention extends the OpenFlow protocol, and defines a new type value for the Multipart request message and the Multipart response message: the storage information (STORAGE), as follows:

/*Storage description.

*The request body is empty.

*The reply body is struct ofp_storage.*/

OFPMP_STORAGE=14,

Where ofp_storage:

/*Body of reply to OFPMP_STORAGE request.*/

Struct ofp_storage{

Uint32_t total_size;/*Total flow table entry size of the switch.*/

Uint32_t idle_size;/*Unused size of the flow table entry.*/

};

OFP_ASSERT(sizeof(struct ofp_desc)==8);

It can be understood that "storage information" is defined as a type value, the value of the type value is 14, the body of the Multipart request message having this type value is empty, and the response body field of the Multipart response message has the ofp_storage structure. The ofp_storage structure includes a total capacity and a free capacity of a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry.

If the controller and the network device use the newly defined type value as a "STORAGE" Multipart message, the request message in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2 may be an extended Multipart request message of the OpenFlow protocol, the extension. The Multipart request message includes a type Type field and a request body field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating storage information, the request The field is empty or carries the device identifier. In the case that the request field of the Multipart request message is carrying the device identifier, a function such as verification may be implemented by using the device identifier in the request field.

For example, when the network device receives the Multipart request message, the network device identifies, by using a type value of the Multipart request message Type field, that the Multipart request message is a request message for requesting to acquire storage information. The network device may generate a Multipart response message corresponding to the Multipart request message, and carry the storage information of the Multipart response message in the response body field of the Multipart response message.

When the controller acquires the Multipart response message sent by the network device, the controller identifies, by using a type value of the Multipart response message Type field, the Multipart response message as a response message carrying the storage information, The controller obtains the required storage information from a response body field of the Multipart response message.

103: The controller compares the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry.

For example, the comparison is mainly used to determine whether the remaining storage space of the network device is sufficient to store the at least one flow entry. Since the capacity of the flow entry is substantially the same, the storage space can be expressed in units of flow entries. For example, the free space is specifically a unit of three flow entries, and the total capacity of the at least one flow entry is specifically two flow entries, and the comparison result is that the free space is greater than the total capacity.

The controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity.

The controller does not deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device, if the free space is smaller than the total capacity.

For example, if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it can be understood that the storage space of the network device has sufficient free space for saving the at least one flow entry. In this case, the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device to be stored in the storage space by the network device under normal circumstances. The network device is capable of implementing the function by using the at least one flow entry.

If the free space is smaller than the total capacity, it can be understood that the free space in the storage space of the network device is insufficient, and the condition for storing the at least one flow entry is not available. In this case, even if the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, the network device cannot save the at least one flow entry or the at least one flow under normal conditions. In the case where there are multiple entries, it is only possible to save at most a part of the at least one flow entry. Even if the network device can save only one of the at least one flow entry, for example, when the at least one flow entry is specifically three flow entries, the network device can only save two of the flow entries, the network The device cannot implement the function that is required to be implemented by the three flow entries according to the saved part of the at least one flow entry, for example, the two flow entries. This situation is in the perspective of the controller, which can be understood as the failure of the downstream flow entry. In this case, the at least one flow entry is not sent to the network device, and the network device cannot store the at least one flow entry, or only the at least one flow entry can be stored. The part of the flow table fails to be sent, or the number of occurrences of the failed flow entry cannot be reduced.

It should be noted that if the storage information is saved in the controller, optionally, the storage information may be updated by the controller.

For example, if the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device by using the comparison, the controller will correspondingly update the storage information corresponding to the network device, and reduce the free space. The total capacity of the at least one flow entry is increased, and the non-free space or the used space is increased by the total capacity of the at least one flow entry. If the flow entry deletion notification is received, the controller adds the deleted space entry capacity to the free space, and reduces the non-free space to the deletion. Flow table entry capacity. By updating the stored information, the accuracy of the judgment and the comparison can be improved, and the function of improving the success rate of the flow entry under the controller can be improved.

It can be seen that, before the controller sends the network device to perform a function, the controller compares the total capacity of the at least one flow entry with the at least one flow entry corresponding to the function. The storage information of the network device is used to compare whether the network device has sufficient free storage space to store the at least one flow entry. When the network device has a storage space that is greater than or equal to the flow entry, the at least one flow entry is sent, and the at least one flow entry is not sent when the network device does not have a storage space for storing the flow entry. , the success rate of the flow entry under the controller is improved.

Embodiment 2

On the basis of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for sending a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes:

301: The controller acquires at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device and a device identifier of the network device, where the at least one flow entry further has a corresponding user identifier.

For example, the user identifier may be used to identify that the at least one flow entry is generated by a user or an application configuration, or the user identifier may also be used to identify the at least one flow. The function corresponding to the entry. The user may refer to a user who uses the network device, for example, a tenant in a data center scenario.

302: The controller searches for the storage information of the network device according to the identifier of the device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry, where the storage is used to store a flow. The free space in the storage space of the entry specifically includes reserved free space and non-reserved free space.

For example, the reservation described in the embodiment of the present invention may be understood as: in the storage space, a part of the free space is reserved in advance as a reserved space, and the reserved space is used to specifically save the flow entry corresponding to the user identifier. . The reserved free space can be understood as a space in the reserved space that has not been used yet. The non-reserved free space can be understood as the reserved space except the reserved space. Other free space outside the free space.

303: The controller determines, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space. The reserved subspace is described as 304.

For example, the reserved space may include one or more subspaces. For example, the user identifier A and the user identifier B have a reserved space in the storage space, wherein the portion of the reserved space dedicated to the user identifier A can be understood as the subspace A corresponding to the user identifier A. The portion of the reserved space dedicated to the user identification B can be understood as the subspace B corresponding to the user identification B. In the embodiment of the present invention, the reserved subspace specifically refers to a free space in the subspace reserved for the user identifier that has not been used.

If the user identifier is used to identify that the at least one flow entry is generated by a user or an application configuration, the subspace corresponding to the user identifier in the reserved space may be specifically used for storage. The user or the application constructs the generated flow table entry. If the user identifier is used to identify the function corresponding to the at least one flow entry, the subspace corresponding to the user identifier in the reserved space may be specifically used for storage to enable the network device to implement A flow entry for the function.

It is noted that, in 303, if the controller determines, according to the user identifier, that the storage space does not have the reserved subspace, perform 306. For details of implementation, see the related description in Section 306.

304: The controller compares the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry; if the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, performing 305; if the reserved subspace 306 is performed less than the total capacity.

305. The controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier.

For example, if the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it can be understood that there is enough free space in the reserved space reserved for the user identifier in the storage space of the network device. The at least one flow entry is saved. In this case, the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, which may be stored by the network device to the In the reserved subspace of the storage space. The network device is capable of implementing the function by using the at least one flow entry.

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity, it may be understood that there is not enough free space in the reserved space reserved for the user identifier in the storage space of the network device for storing the at least one piece. Flow entry. In this case, it may be further determined by comparing whether the non-reserved free space has a condition for storing the at least one flow entry.

306: The controller compares the non-reserved free space with the total capacity; if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, perform 305.

That is to say, the flow entry with the corresponding subspace in the reserved space may be further stored in the non-reserved idle if the corresponding subspace does not have sufficient free space. Possible in space. The non-reserved free space can be understood as a free area in the public space of the storage flow entry, that is, the user identifier of the flow entry stored in the non-reserved free space is not limited or limited.

If the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it may be understood that the unreserved free space in the storage space of the network device has sufficient free space for saving the at least one flow entry. . The controller has a condition for delivering the at least one flow entry to the network device.

It should be noted that when the controller in 306 passes the comparison, if the non-reserved free space is less than the total capacity, 307 is performed.

307: The controller does not send the at least one flow entry to the network device.

For example, in a case where the storage space of the network device does not have the at least one flow entry being completely stored, not sending the at least one flow entry to the network device may effectively avoid the network. The device cannot store the at least one flow entry, or only a part of the at least one flow entry may cause the failure of the flow entry to be delivered, or the number of occurrences of the failed flow entry may be effectively reduced.

The storage space of the network device may also be some specific functions that need to be performed, such as a function having a high priority or a specific user who needs to implement a function on the network device, for example, an important user. The user or the important application allocates a dedicated reservation space, so that the flow entry related to the foregoing, for example, the flow entry related to the specific function, the flow entry generated by the specific user, or the flow entry generated by the important application needs to be delivered to the flow entry. In the network device, the storage space has a reserved storage space dedicated to storing the flow entry. Moreover, even if the free space of the reserved storage space is insufficient, the flow table entry may be stored in the non-reserved free space when the non-reserved free space of the storage space is sufficient. Therefore, the probability that the important flow entry can be stored by the network device is ensured as much as possible, and the use efficiency of the storage space is improved.

Optionally, it is further explained that, when the storage space has a reserved space and a non-reserved space, and the storage information is saved in the controller, the storage information may be used by the controller. Update.

The corresponding update of the controller corresponds to the storage information of the network device according to different situations.

If the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device if the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the controller reduces the reserved subspace by the total capacity.

If the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, the controller reduces the non-reserved free space if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity. The total capacity.

If the controller receives the flow entry deletion notification, the controller may update the storage information according to the location of the deleted flow entry stored in the storage space before being deleted. . For example, when the deleted flow entry is stored in the storage space before the deletion, specifically, the corresponding subspace in the reserved space, the controller may increase the reserved subspace of the subspace. The deleted flow entry capacity. For example, when the deleted flow entry is deleted before being deleted When the location stored in the storage space is specifically in the non-reserved space, the controller may increase the capacity of the deleted flow entry by adding the unreserved free space. By updating the stored information, the accuracy of the judgment and the comparison can be improved, and the function of improving the success rate of the flow entry under the controller can be improved.

Embodiment 3

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the flow entry sending device 400 includes:

The obtaining unit 401 is configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device and a device identifier of the network device.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferably applied to a network in which the SDN technology is deployed. The network device may be a forwarding device for performing route forwarding. For example, it may be a switch, a router, or the like that supports the OpenFlow protocol.

The searching unit 402 is configured to search, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry.

For example, if the controller has stored the storage information locally, the searching unit 402 may perform a local search by using the device identifier to find the storage information of the corresponding device identifier. Alternatively, if the controller stores the storage information locally, the searching unit 402 may send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, for requesting to acquire storage information of the network device. Receiving, by the network device, a response message returned by the request message, to obtain the storage of the network device carried in the response message The information is stored and the stored information stored locally can be updated with the stored information. Or, if the controller does not store the storage information locally, the searching unit 402 may send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, to request to acquire storage information of the network device, and receive The network device obtains the storage information of the network device carried in the response message according to the response message returned by the request message. It should also be noted that the network device can also automatically upload its own storage information to the controller periodically.

The request message and the response message may be a set new message, or may be a new type defined on the basis of an existing message by extending the protocol. On the basis of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the searching unit 402 in the flow entry sending device 400 further include:

The sending sub-unit 501 is configured to send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device.

The receiving sub-unit 502 is configured to receive a response message that is sent by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.

The obtaining subunit 503 is configured to obtain the storage information of the network device from the response message.

In the OpenFlow protocol, Multipart messages can be used between the controller and the network device to transmit status information of the network device. The controller may request to obtain status information of the network device by sending a Multipart request message to the network device, and after receiving the Multipart request message, the network device returns a Multipart response message to the controller, and carries the Multipart response message in the Multipart response message. The required status message. The Multipart request message and the Multipart response message In the OpenFlow protocol format, the type value can be set by the type field: "uint16_t type; /*One of the OFPMP_* constants.*/", and different type values correspond to different state information. For example, if the controller needs to obtain the status information 1 from the network device, the type field in the Multipart request message sent by the controller to the network device may be set to the type value 1 corresponding to the status information 1, and if the status information 2 is required, The type field may be set to correspond to the type value 2 of the status information 2. That is to say, the content carried in the Multipart request message and the Multipart response message can be controlled by setting the type field. However, the current OpenFlow protocol does not support the controller to obtain the storage information of the network device from the network device through the Multipart message.

/*Storage description.

*The request body is empty.

*The reply body is struct ofp_storage.*/

OFPMP_STORAGE=14,

Where ofp_storage:

/*Body of reply to OFPMP_STORAGE request.*/

Struct ofp_storage{

Uint32_t total_size;/*Total flow table entry size of the switch.*/

Uint32_t idle_size;/*Unused size of the flow table entry.*/

};

OFP_ASSERT(sizeof(struct ofp_desc)==8);

It can be understood that "storage information" is defined as a type value, the value of the type value is 14, the body of the Multipart request message having this type value is empty, and the response body field of the Multipart response message has the ofp_storage structure. , the ofp_storage structure includes The network device is configured to store a total capacity and a free capacity of a storage space of the flow entry.

If the controller and the network device use the newly defined type value as a "STORAGE" Multipart message, the request message in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2 may be an extended Multipart request message of the OpenFlow protocol, the extension. The Multipart request message includes a Type Type field and a Request Body field, the Type field carrying a type value indicating storage information, the request field being empty or carrying the device identification. In the case that the request field of the Multipart request message is carrying the device identifier, a function such as verification may be implemented by using the device identifier in the request field.

The comparison unit 403 is configured to compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry.

If the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the trigger sending unit 404 is configured according to the device. The identifier sends the at least one flow entry to the network device.

If the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the sending unit 404 does not trigger the sending of the at least one flow entry to the network device.

For example, if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it can be understood that the storage space of the network device has sufficient free space for saving the at least one flow entry. In this case, the sending unit 404 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, which can be stored in the storage space by the network device under normal circumstances. The network device is capable of implementing the function by using the at least one flow entry.

If the free space is smaller than the total capacity, it can be understood that the free space in the storage space of the network device is insufficient, and the condition for storing the at least one flow entry is not available. In this case, even if the sending unit 404 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, the network device cannot save the at least one flow entry or the at least one in a normal situation. In the case where there are multiple flow entries, it is only possible to save at most a part of the at least one flow entry. Even if the network device can save only one of the at least one flow entry, for example, when the at least one flow entry is specifically three flow entries, the network device can only save two of the flow entries, the network The device cannot implement the function that is required to be implemented by the three flow entries according to the saved part of the at least one flow entry, for example, the two flow entries. This situation is in the perspective of the controller, which can be understood as the failure of the downstream flow entry. In this case, the at least one flow entry is not sent to the network device, and the network device cannot store the at least one flow entry, or only the at least one flow entry can be stored. The part of the flow table fails to be sent, or the number of occurrences of the failed flow entry cannot be reduced.

It should be noted that, if the storage information is saved in the controller, optionally, the storage information may be updated by the update unit 601. On the basis of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flow entry sending device 400 further includes:

The updating unit 601 is configured to: when the at least one flow entry is sent to the network device, or when the flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device is received, update the storage information, The flow entry deletion notification includes a flow entry capacity deleted by the network device and a location where the deleted flow entry is stored in the storage space before being deleted.

For example, if the comparison unit 403 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device by using the comparison, the update unit 601 associates the corresponding update with the storage information of the network device, and is idle. The space reduces the total capacity of the at least one flow entry, and increases the non-free space or the used space by the total capacity of the at least one flow entry. If the flow entry deletion notification is received, the update unit 601 adds the deleted space entry capacity to the free space, and reduces the deleted traffic entry capacity by the non-free space. By updating the stored information, the accuracy of the judgment and the comparison can be improved, and the function of improving the success rate of the flow entry under the controller can be improved.

Embodiment 4

On the basis of the third embodiment, the free space in the storage space for storing the flow entry specifically includes a reserved free space and a non-reserved free space, and the at least one flow entry further has a corresponding user identifier.

For example, the reservation described in the embodiment of the present invention may be understood as: in the storage space, a part of the free space is reserved in advance as a reserved space, and the reserved space is used to specifically save the flow entry corresponding to the user identifier. . The reserved free space can be understood as a space in the reserved space that has not been used yet. The non-reserved free space can be understood as other free space in the free space except the reserved free space.

For example, the user identifier may be used to identify that the at least one flow entry is determined by a certain A user or an application configuration is generated, or the user identifier may also be used to identify the function corresponding to the at least one flow entry. The user may refer to a user who uses the network device, for example, a tenant in a data center scenario.

On the basis of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a device for delivering a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention. The controller 400 further includes:

The determining unit 701 is configured to determine, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space.

If the reserved subspace is provided, the first comparison subunit 702 included in the comparison unit 403 is triggered,

The first comparison sub-unit 702 is configured to compare the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry.

If the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the sending unit 404 is configured to send the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier.

For example, if the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it may be understood that the reserved space reserved for the user identifier in the storage space of the network device is sufficiently empty. The free space is used to save the at least one flow entry. In this case, the sending unit 404 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, which can be stored by the network device in the reserved subspace of the storage space under normal circumstances. The network device is capable of implementing the function by using the at least one flow entry.

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity; or if the determining result of the determining unit 701 is that the reserved subspace is not provided, the second comparison subunit included in the comparison unit 403 is triggered. 703,

The second comparison sub-unit 703 is configured to compare the non-reserved free space with the total capacity.

If the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the sending unit 404 is configured to send the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier.

If the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, it may be understood that the unreserved free space in the storage space of the network device has sufficient free space for saving the at least one flow entry. . The sending unit 404 has a condition for delivering the at least one flow entry to the network device.

If the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity, the sending unit 404 does not trigger the sending of the at least one flow entry to the network device.

For example, if the storage space of the network device does not have the at least one flow entry being completely stored, the at least one flow entry may not be sent to the network device. The failure of the network device to store the at least one flow entry, or only the part of the at least one flow entry may cause the failure of the flow entry to be delivered, or the flow entry may be effectively reduced. The number of occurrences of failure.

Optionally, the following further describes how the storage information is used by the update unit when the storage space has a reserved space and a non-reserved space, and the storage information is saved in the controller. 601 is updated.

When the update unit 601 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, or receives the flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device, the update information is updated, and the flow entry is deleted. The notification includes a flow entry capacity deleted by the network device and a location in the storage space before the deleted flow entry is deleted.

The update unit 601 correspondingly updates the storage information corresponding to the network device according to different situations.

The sending unit 304 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device if the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, and the updating unit 401 reduces the reserved subspace. The total capacity.

If the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the sending unit 404 sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, and the update unit 401 stores the non-reserved idle. Space reduces the total capacity.

If the controller receives the flow entry deletion notification, the update unit 601 may perform the storage information according to the location of the deleted flow entry stored in the storage space before being deleted. Update. For example, when the deleted flow entry is stored in the storage space before the deletion, specifically, the corresponding subspace in the reserved space, the update unit 601 may reserve the subspace of the subspace. Increase the capacity of the deleted flow entry. For example, when the deleted flow entry is specifically stored in the non-reserved space before being deleted, the update unit 601 may add the unreserved free space to the deleted flow. Entry capacity. By updating the stored information, the accuracy of the judgment and the comparison can be improved, and the function of improving the success rate of the flow entry under the controller can be improved.

Embodiment 5

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method includes:

801: The network device sends, to the controller, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry.

For the content of this step, refer to the related description of 102 in the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 1 and the related description of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 2, and details are not described herein again.

802: The network device receives at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device.

803. The network device saves the at least one flow entry in a storage space.

Optionally, on the basis of the corresponding embodiment of FIG. 8, FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including:

901: The network device acquires a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device.

902: The network device sends a response message to the controller according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device.

903: The network device receives at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one A flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device.

904: The network device saves the at least one flow entry in a storage space.

Optionally, the request message is an extended Multipart request message of the OpenFlow protocol, where the extended Multipart request message includes a Type field and a request Body field, where the Type field carries a type value indicating that the information is stored, the request Body field Empty or carry the device identification;

Embodiment 6

FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a device for saving a flow entry according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flow entry storage device 1000 includes:

The sending unit 1001 is configured to send, to the controller, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry.

The receiving unit 1002 is configured to receive at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device.

The saving unit 1003 is configured to save the at least one flow entry in the storage space.

Optionally, the receiving unit 1002 is further configured to: before the triggering the sending unit 1001, acquire a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device.

The sending unit 1001 is specifically configured to reply a response message to the controller according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device.

Example 7

The embodiment of the invention further provides a flow entry delivery system, where the system includes a controller and a network device:

The controller is configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on a network device, and a device identifier of the network device, and acquire, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes The network device is configured to store a free space in a storage space of the flow entry; compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry; if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, according to the The device identifier sends the at least one flow entry to the network device; if the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the at least one flow entry is not sent to the network device.

Example eight

Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. The controller 1100 includes a memory 1101, a receiver 1102, and a transmitter 1103, and the receiving and the receiving, respectively. The processor 1104 is connected to the processor 1104. The memory 1101 is configured to store a set of program instructions, and the processor 1104 is configured to invoke the program instructions stored by the memory 1101 to perform the following operations:

Triggering the receiver 1102 to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on a network device and a device identifier of the network device;

Obtaining the storage information of the network device according to the device identifier, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

Comparing the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry;

If the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the transmitter 1103 is configured to send the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the vacant space is smaller than the total capacity, the transmitter 1103 is not triggered to deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device.

Optionally, the processor 1104 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the memory 1101 may be an internal memory of a random access memory (RAM) type, the receiver 1102 and The transmitter 1103 may include a common physical interface, and the physical interface may be an Ethernet interface or an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface. The processor 1104, the transmitter 1103, the receiver 1102, and the memory 1101 may be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).

Example nine

Referring to FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network device 1200 includes a memory 1201, a receiver 1202, and a transmitter 1203, and the receiving and the receiving, respectively. The processor 1204 is connected to the processor 1203. The memory 1201 is configured to store a set of program instructions. The processor 1204 is configured to invoke the program instructions stored by the memory 1201 to perform the following operations:

Triggering the receiver 1202 to send, to the controller, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

The transmitter 1203 is configured to receive at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device;

The at least one flow entry is saved in the storage space.

Optionally, the processor 1204 may be a CPU, and the memory 1201 may be a RAM type. The internal memory, the receiver 1202 and the transmitter 1203 may comprise a common physical interface, and the physical interface may be an Ethernet interface or an ATM interface. The processor 1204, the transmitter 1203, the receiver 1202, and the memory 1201 may be integrated into one or more separate circuits or hardware, such as an ASIC.

It can be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps of implementing the foregoing method embodiments may be performed by hardware related to program instructions, and the foregoing program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes The foregoing steps of the method embodiment; and the foregoing storage medium may be at least one of the following: a read-only memory (ROM), a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and the like, which can store the program code. .

It is to be noted that the various embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same similar parts between the various embodiments may be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on different embodiments from other embodiments. At the office. In particular, for the device and the system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method embodiment. The apparatus and system embodiments described above are merely illustrative, wherein the units illustrated as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, ie may be located A place, or it can be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement without any creative effort.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a number of modifications and refinements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the invention, and such modifications and refinements are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

A method for delivering a flow entry, characterized in that the method includes:

The controller acquires at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device and a device identifier of the network device;

Obtaining, by the controller, the storage information of the network device according to the device identifier, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

The controller compares the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry;

And the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

The controller does not deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device if the free space is smaller than the total capacity.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the free space in the storage space for storing the flow entry specifically includes a reserved free space and a non-reserved free space, and the at least one flow entry further has Corresponding user identifier, the method further includes:

Determining, by the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space;

If the reserved subspace is available, the controller compares the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry, including:

The controller compares the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry;

If the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity, the controller compares the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

And the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

If the non-reserved free space is less than the total capacity, the controller does not go to the network device The at least one flow entry is delivered.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, and further includes:

If the reserved subspace is not provided, the controller compares the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

And the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

The controller does not deliver the at least one flow entry to the network device, if the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller acquires the storage information of the network device according to the device identifier, including:

Sending, by the controller, a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

Receiving, by the controller, a response message that is replied by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device;

The controller acquires the storage information of the network device from the response message.
The method according to claim 4, wherein the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, the extended Multipart request message including a Type Type field and a Request Body Body field, The Type field carries a type value indicating that the information is stored, and the request body field is empty or carries the device identifier.

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, and the response Body field carries the storage information of the network device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

When the controller sends the at least one flow entry to the network device, or receives a flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device, the controller updates the storage information, and the flow entry deletion notification is The flow entry entry volume deleted by the network device and the deleted flow entry are deleted. The location previously stored in the storage space.
A flow table item issuing device, wherein the flow table item issuing device includes:

An obtaining unit, configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on the network device, and a device identifier of the network device;

a searching unit, configured to acquire, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

a comparison unit, configured to compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry;

If the vacant space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the trigger sending unit sends the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the sending unit does not trigger the sending of the at least one flow entry to the network device.
The device according to claim 7, wherein the free space in the storage space for storing the flow entry specifically includes a reserved free space and a non-reserved free space, and the at least one flow entry further has The corresponding user ID also includes:

a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the user identifier, whether the storage space has a reserved subspace corresponding to the user identifier, where the reserved subspace is part or all of the reserved free space;

If the reserved subspace is provided, triggering the first comparison subunit included in the comparison unit,

The first comparison subunit is configured to compare the total capacity of the reserved subspace and the at least one flow entry;

If the reserved subspace is greater than or equal to the total capacity, the sending unit is configured to send the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier;

If the reserved subspace is smaller than the total capacity, triggering a second comparison subunit included in the comparison unit,

The second comparison subunit is configured to compare the non-reserved free space with the total capacity;

And sending, by the sending unit, the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

If the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity, the sending unit is not triggered to the network The network device delivers the at least one flow entry.
The device according to claim 8, further comprising:

If the judgment result of the determining unit is that the reserved subspace is not provided, the second comparison subunit is triggered;

And sending, by the sending unit, the at least one flow entry to the network device according to the device identifier, if the non-reserved free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity;

And sending, by the sending unit, the at least one flow entry to the network device, if the non-reserved free space is smaller than the total capacity.
The device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the searching unit further comprises:

a sending subunit, configured to send a request message to the network device according to the device identifier, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

a receiving subunit, configured to receive a response message that is sent by the network device according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the storage information on the network device;

And obtaining a subunit, configured to acquire the storage information of the network device from the response message.
The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, the extended Multipart request message including a Type Type field and a Request Body Body field, The Type field carries a type value indicating that the information is stored, and the request body field is empty or carries the device identifier.

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, and the response Body field carries the storage information of the network device.
The device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising:

And an update unit, configured to: when the at least one flow entry is sent to the network device, or the flow entry deletion notification sent by the network device is received, the storage information is updated, and the flow entry is deleted. The notification includes a flow entry capacity deleted by the network device and a location in the storage space before the deleted flow entry is deleted.
A method for saving a flow entry, characterized in that the method comprises:

The network device sends the storage information of the network device to the controller, where the storage information includes a free space in the storage space used by the network device to store the flow entry;

Receiving, by the network device, at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device;

The network device saves the at least one flow entry in a storage space.
The method according to claim 13, wherein before the network device sends the storage information of the network device to the controller, the method further includes:

Obtaining, by the network device, a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

Sending, by the network device, the storage information of the network device to the controller, including:

And the network device returns a response message to the controller according to the request message, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.
The method according to claim 14, wherein the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, the extended Multipart request message including a Type Type field and a Request Body Body field, The Type field carries a type value indicating that the information is stored, and the request body field is empty or carries the device identifier.

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, and the response Body field carries the storage information of the network device.
A flow entry storage device, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send, to the controller, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes a free space in a storage space used by the network device to store a flow entry;

a receiving unit, configured to receive at least one flow entry that is sent by the controller, where the at least one flow entry is used to implement a function on the network device;

And a saving unit, configured to save the at least one flow entry in the storage space.
The device of claim 16 wherein:

The receiving unit is further configured to: before the triggering the sending unit, acquire a request message sent by the controller, where the request message is used to request to acquire the storage information of the network device;

The sending unit is specifically configured to: reply, according to the request message, a response message to the controller, where the response message is used to notify the controller of the stored information on the network device.
The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the request message is an extended multipart Multipart request message of an OpenFlow OpenFlow protocol, the extended Multipart request message including a Type Type field and a Request Body Body field, The Type field carries a type value indicating that the information is stored, and the request body field is empty or carries the device identifier.

Correspondingly, the response message is an extended Multipart response message of the OpenFlow protocol, the Multipart response message includes the Type field and a response Body field, and the response Body field carries the storage information of the network device.
A flow entry delivery system, characterized in that the system comprises a controller and a network device:

The controller is configured to acquire at least one flow entry for implementing a function on a network device, and a device identifier of the network device, and acquire, according to the device identifier, storage information of the network device, where the storage information includes The network device is configured to store a free space in a storage space of the flow entry; compare the total capacity of the free space and the at least one flow entry; if the free space is greater than or equal to the total capacity, according to the The device identifier sends the at least one flow entry to the network device; if the free space is smaller than the total capacity, the at least one flow entry is not sent to the network device;

The network device is configured to send the storage information of the network device to the controller, where the storage information includes a free space in the storage space of the network device for storing the flow entry; and receiving at least the issued by the controller A flow entry, the at least one flow entry being used to implement a function on the network device; and storing the at least one flow entry in a storage space.